Global AM Summit 2026

Arno started his career in the late 1990s as a trained field service engineer with TRUMPF laser technology and later spent seven years in strategy and business development at EOS. In 2015 he co-founded AM Ventures and co-built the world’s first and largest AM-focused venture fund. Over the decade since, he and his team have scouted and analysed more than 3,000 industrial 3D printing startups worldwide, completed 40+ financing rounds and built a portfolio of 22 companies in 7 countries on 3 continents, with four successful exits to date.

Today he advises investors, corporates, and founders in advanced manufacturing through Held Holding. His Springer essential on applied AI in additive manufacturing (2026, in German only) is written from the same double perspective he works in: technologist and investor. What interests him most is the part the numbers don’t show: the point where the technology works but the business doesn’t yet, and he is candid about the expensive lessons behind that judgement.

Arno has lived and worked on four continents and holds a degree in industrial engineering and management from the University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe (Germany) and an Executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland).

Dr Chia Boon Tat is the Chief Technology Officer of Mencast Marine, where he leads the company’s “From Carbon to Silicon” transformation. The programme is reshaping how marine products are designed and manufactured through the practical application of AI, additive manufacturing and intelligent automation.

Under his leadership, Mencast has developed AI-assisted design capabilities and produced class-certified additively manufactured marine propellers, while progressing towards more connected and adaptive production.

The transformation extends beyond technology to developing people, changing mindsets and building a company culture that embraces learning, experimentation and new ways of working. It is supported by collaborations with research institutions, universities, classification societies and industry partners that help translate innovation into practical industrial value. 

Through this transformation, Mencast is moving beyond commodity-based competition towards higher-value solutions and services, while strengthening Singapore’s capabilities in advanced marine manufacturing.

Dr. Karsten Heuser has been with Siemens for more than 25 years, holding various management positions in areas including organic LEDs, concentrated photovoltaics and PLM & Innovation excellence. For more than eight years, he has served as Vice President Additive Manufacturing at Siemens AG, driving the industrialization of additive manufacturing across industries.

Beyond his role at Siemens, Dr. Heuser is actively engaged in the additive manufacturing ecosystem. He serves on the Advisory Board of the VDMA Additive Manufacturing Working Group and the Formnext Advisory Board, is a board member of Bavaria Makes e.V., chairs the Advisory Board of Rapid.Tech 3D in Erfurt and chairs the Board of Trustees of the IAPT institute in Hamburg.

As a LinkedIn Top Voice, Dr. Heuser is recognized as an international thought leader in the industrialization of additive manufacturing. He holds a Ph.D. in solid-state physics from the University of Augsburg and a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Management from ESMT Berlin.

Joris gives strategic and business development advice to companies in Additive Manufacturing. He helps with due diligence, partnerships, and application development. Joris has been active in Additive Manufacturing for over 16 years and has worked with some of the largest and highest-performing businesses in the 3D Printing market.

Julian Rascol is the Head of the Airbus Tech Hub Singapore. Grounded in his experience as a former tech scout identifying breakthrough technologies, he now leads a strategic business unit supporting global, cross-divisional Research & Technology (R&T) for Airbus. In this role, Julian focuses on bridging complex aerospace challenges with Singapore’s world-class research and industrial ecosystem to shape the future of aerospace.

Kitty Wang is the CEO of SynaCore, dedicated to delivering end-to-end simulation and prediction capabilities through its Additive Manufacturing Digital Twin (AM-DT) software — helping companies enhance the efficiency and quality of their additive manufacturing processes. Built into the AM-DT platform, SynaCore’s Adaptive ToolPath and AI Alloy capabilities further provide intelligent process strategies and accelerate smart alloy development, driving additive manufacturing toward a evolving manufacturing future.

Kitty holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and an MBA with a concentration in Finance. Prior to founding SynaCore, Kitty founded 3D Science Valley, offering in-depth market insights and consultant for the additive manufacturing industry. Before that, she built extensive manufacturing industry experience at multinational corporations including Sandvik, Chevron, and DMG MORI.

Lorenzo Gasparoni, aerospace engineer with a double degree from University of Padua and Ecole Centrale de Lille, is currently Alstom’s 3D Printing Program Manager, leading the strategy and global footprint of Alstom Additive Manufacturing applications within the group. He has extensive experience in additive manufacturing, industrialization, and innovation management and specializes in the development and deployment of advanced manufacturing technologies for transportation and industrial applications, with a particular focus on engineering qualification, production optimization, and digital transformation.

Throughout his career, Lorenzo has led cross-functional programs involving research, engineering, operations, and supply chain teams, driving the adoption of additive manufacturing solutions from concept validation to industrial implementation. His work has contributed to the advancement of sustainable manufacturing practices, reduced product development cycles, and improved operational efficiency.

Passionate about emerging technologies and their practical application in industry, Lorenzo actively collaborates with international teams and research partners to accelerate innovation and bridge the gap between scientific developments and real-world manufacturing needs.

Mahendran Reddy is a Design, Technology and Innovation professional, who has leveraged his 25+ years experience to build and uncover opportunities in the creative industries both in the private and public sector. Passionate about connecting people, organisations, geographies and industries to explore and advance new technology such as Additive Manufacturing. He has a depth of knowledge in management, government processes and policies and design thinking skills.

Based in Hamburg, Germany, he is a key member of the Fehrmann Tech group’s management team, bringing his wealth of knowledge in the creative and manufacturing industries in both the private and public sectors to build a value added ecosystem of customers, researchers, collaborators and like minded professionals to accelerate the global footprint of Fehrmann Tech Group. He is an evangelist in various A M initiatives in accelerating the adoption of this cutting edge technology.

As a trained architect, he has held key strategic appointments in driving innovation and initiatives in the Singapore civil service, notably the establishment of the National Design Centre in Singapore. He is a graduate of National University of Singapore , School of Architecture Singapore and holds a Masters degree from the prestigious Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL London, UK.

David Rosen is a Principal Scientist at the Institute of Advanced Intelligence and Computing (IAIC) and SIMTech, both A*STAR institutes in Singapore. He was a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology for many years after receiving his Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts. Additionally, he held faculty and research positions at the Singapore University of Technology & Design. His research interests include computer-aided design, additive manufacturing (AM), and design methodology. He is a Fellow of ASME and ASTM. Also, he is the recipient of several engineering design and manufacturing awards and co-authored a leading textbook on AM.